Wire chain



(No Model.) 18 Sheets-Shet 1.

G. P. SMITH. MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

No. 537,866. Patented Apr. 23.; 1895.

(No Model.) 188beets-Sheet 2. G. F. SMITH. MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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U. P. SMITH. MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE UHAIN. No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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(No Model.) 1s sheets-sheet 4. G. F. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE GHAIN.

Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

WITNESSES;

ATTORNEY (No Model.) 18 Sheets-Sheet 6.

0. FJ SMITH. A MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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' (No Model.) 18 Sheets-Sheet 7.

v N 0.1". SMIT MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,868. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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18 SheetsSheet 8.

(No Model.)

O. P. SMITH. MAGHINE FOE AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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O. F; SMITH, MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,863.

Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

(No Model.) 1s Sheets-Sheet 10.

0. I. SMITH. A MAGHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

WITNESSES:

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ATTORNEY 18 Sheets-Sheet 12.

(No Model.)

. O. 1?. SMITH.

MAGHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,863.

Patented Apr. 23, 1895..

WITNESSES:v

(N0 Model.) 18 Sheets-Sheet 13.

C. I. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

No. 537,863. P-atentedApr. 28, 1895.

INVENTOR (No Model.) I 18 Sheets-Sheet 14. G. F. SMITH. MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 2-3, 1895.

INVENTOR WITNESSES;

- d' wdk ATTORNEY 18 Sheets-Sheet 15].

(No Model.)

.0.- F. SMITH.' v MACHINE FOR AUTOMATIOALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

No. 537,863. Patented A r. 23, 1895.

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ATTORNEY (No Model.) 18 Sheets-Sheet 16.

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"No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY- (No Model.) 18 Shets-Sheet 17.

0. I. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,863.

Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

WITNESSES:

(No Model.) 18 Sheets-Sheet 18.

0. 1?. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN. No. 537,863. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

PETERS 00., RHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, DSCL Nrrnn STATES CHARLES F. SMITH, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH & EGGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY MAKING WIRE CHAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 537,863, dated. April 23, 1895.

Application filed January 12,1895. Serial No. 534,723- (N6 model.)

and exact description of the invention, such as I will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to machines for antomatically manufacturing chain from wire, but more particularly has reference to the manufacture of achain composed of links of the same shape and size, each link having two loops one at each end, the extremities of the wire being secured at or about the central portion of the link.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is a plan of my machine; Fig. 2, a section at the line aa of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 0; Fig. 3, a section at the line aa of Fig, 1, looking in the direction of the arrow b; Fig. 4, a section at the line j-j of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 70; Fig. 5, a section at the line dd of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 2; Fig. 6,a section at the line dd of Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrow f; Fig. 7, a section at the line gg of Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrow h; Fig. 8, a section at the line Q,Q of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 'r; Fig. 9, a section at the line Z-Zof Fig. 1,1ookingin the direction of the arrow m; Fig. 10, a section at the line nn of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 19; Fig. 11,a section at the line 20-11. of Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrow c; Fig." 12, a section at the line tttt of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow to; Fig.13,a section at the line s-s of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow t; Fig. 14, a detail broken perspective of the tool for performing the second bending operation; Fig. 15, a detail broken perspective of the tool for performing the last bending operation; Fig. 16, a detail perspective of the tool for performing the first bending operation; Fig. 17,a detail perspective of the tool for performing the Fig. 18 is a broken formed; Fig. 19, a detail broken plan, partly in section, and on an enlarged scale, showing the position of the parts after the second bending operation has been performed. Fig. 20 is a view similar to Fig. 19, but showing the position of the parts after the third bending operation has been performed. Fig. 21 is a view similar to Fig. 19, but showing the position of the parts after the fourth bending operation has been performed; Fig. 22, a broken detail sectional elevation, at the line ss of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow at, and on an enlarged scale, and showing the position of the parts after the fifth bending operation has been performed; Fig. 23, a view similar to Fig. 22 but showing the position of the parts after the sixth bending operation has been performed. Figs. 24 and 24. are similar to Fig. 19, and showing the position of the parts when the wire has been fed through the loop of a previously completed link. Figs. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 are detail views showing respectively the shape of the wire blank after the performance of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth bending operations; and Fig. 32 is a detail elevation showing a short length of the completed chain.

Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

8 is the bed of the machine on the rear of which is journaled the main shaft 9 in the usual manner, which shaft carries the various cams for performing the bending operations, as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

For the sake of clearness and a better understanding of my invention, I will first describe the feeding and cutting off mechanisms and afterward the instrumentalities for performing the various bending operations in their proper order.

The mechanism for feeding the wire is lower portion whereof is journaled the short shaft 11 which carries the lower feed roll 12, and within the upper portion of this upright is a gate 13 within which is a box 14, which latter has a free vertical play and rests upon a coil spring 15 supported by any suitable portion of the upright. Within this box 14 is journaled the short shaft 16 carrying the upper feed roll 17. It will th us be readily understood that the upper feed roll is normally elevated so as not to cooperate with the lower feed roll.

Carried by the shafts 11, 16, areintermeshing gear wheels 18,- 19, and also carried by the shaft 11 is a pinion 20 which is engaged by a spur gear 21 on the shaft 9 whereby rotary motion is imparted from the latter to the shaft 11 and thence to the shaft 16, thereby causing the feed rollers to revolve in opposite directions.

Carried by the shaft 9 is a circulardisk 22 having a certain portion of its periphery depressed as shown at 23, and pivoted at 24 to the upright 10 is an arm 25 whose rear end rests upon the periphery of the disk 22, so that it will be readily understood that the revolution of said disk will alternately elevate said arm or permit it to be lowered, ac-' cording as the latter is traveling upon the raised or sunken surface of the disk. A lug 26 extends from said arm in front of the pivotal point and through this lug projects a screw pin 27, the lower end of which is in close proximity to the floor of the feed way for the wire for the purpose presently explained.

Pivoted at 28 to an extension 29 from the upright- 10 is an arm 30 which has a nub 31 which rests on top of the arm 25, said arm 30 having depending from its rear or free end a pin 32 which extends loosely through the bed plate, a coil spring 33 being arranged around said pin and confined between a head 34 on the bottom of the latterand the under side of the bed, whereby said arm is normally forced down against the arm 25.

Within the top of the upright 10 isa pin 35 which, extends loosely in vertical position through the upright and rests by gravity upon the box 14, the head of said pin normally projecting above the level' of said upright as shown at Fig. 2. The arm 30 is always in contact with said pin, so that it willbe clear that when the rear end of the arm 25 is traveling in the sunken portion 23 of the disk 22, the action of the arm 30 will force said pin downward and thereby depress the upper feed roll so that it will co-operate with the lower feed roll. It will therefore be obvious that during the time when the rear end of the arm 25 is traveling in said portion 23, the feeding of the wire will occur, and that when said arm is in contact with the remaining portion of the disk 22, the upper feed roll will be elevated.

The Wire 36 is run between the rolls and passes through a quill 37 which latter is of course provided with an opening of the proper gage to accommodate the wire, and said quill is supported within the block 38 secured to the bed. This block and quill are provided with vertical openings 39, 40, through which openings the pin 27 passes so as to directly overhang the wire. After the wire has been fed the elevation of the rear end of the arm 25 will cause the pin 27 to bind firmly against the wire as shown at Fig. 22 thereby holding the latter as against any slipping or back thrust up to the time when the cutting off of the blank has occurred. The instrumentalities for cutting off the blank also, by their continued movement, perform the third b ending operation, but I will, at the present time, merely describe such instrumentalities only in so far as they operate to cut off the wire.

41 is the cut off tool secured to a slide 42, which latter is capable of a free movement within suitable ways, shown in dotted lines at Fig. 1.

43 is a bell crank pivoted at 44 to the bed of the machine, the front leg of which crank extends loosely within the slide 42, so that when the crank is rocked said slide and the tool 41 carried thereby will be thrown forward and backward. This cut off tool operates across the front of the quill 37 (see Figs. 19 and 20) to shear off the wire blank. 45 is a slide which is guided within a box 46 rigid on the bed, and extending laterally from the rear,

end of this slide is a roller 47 which lies within a side groove 48 in the cam 3 which latter is mounted on the shaft 9. Carried by the forward extremity of this slide is a swiveled post 49, and through this post the rear leg of the crank 43 extends loosely.

The revolution of the cam 3 will operate the slide to rock the crank forward and backward and thereby cause the tool 41 to be thrown across the front of the quill 37 and retracted therefrom.

I will now describe the mechanism which I employ for performing the first bending operation, reference being had to Figs. 1, 3, 6, 13, 16, 18, and 25.

Journaled in suitable boxes 50 secured to the bed is a shaft 51 having upon its outer extremity a pinion 52 which latter engages with a rack bar 53 capable of sliding freely within suitable ways in the bed. This rack bar carries at its rear end upon one side a roller 54 (see Fig. 6) which projects within a side groove 55 in the cam 1 which latter is mounted on the main shaft 9. As the cam IIO revolves a forward and backward reciprocation will be imparted to the rack bar, whereby the shaft 51 will be rocked first in one direction and then in the other. Secured upon the inner end of the shaft 51 is a head 56, and projecting from the face of this head is the bending stud 57 and the shoulder 58 which are separated from each other by a space just sufficient to admit of the passage of the wire 36. The normal position of this head is shown at Fig. 3, and at Fig. 13 such position is preserved with the wire having been fed so that the extremity thereof extends between said 

